Fuse holder



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Patented Jan. 9, 1951 2,537,827 FUSE HOLDER Clarence W. Heath, Bleasby, England, assignor to United-Carr Fastener Corporation, Cambridge, Mass a corporation of Massachusetts Application November 2, 1949, Serial No. 125,125 In Great Britain November 4, 1948 1 Claim.

This invention relates to fuse holders and more particularly to a plug or like device carrying a fusible element, and adapted to be plugged into sockets in electrical apparatus.

According to the present invention the fuse plug comprises a hollow body of insulating material having electrical contact pins projecting out- Y' wardly thereof, the inner end of each pin having spaced resilient integral arms located within the hollow body, and a fuse carrying member detachably supported between` said arms with the fuse element in electrical connection with said arms.

To enable the invention to be fully understood it will now be described with reference to the accompanying drawing, in which- Fig. l is a sectional side-elevation of a fuse plug embodying one form of the invention;

Fig. 2 is a sectional end View of the plug;

Fig. 3 is a plan view of the fuse body;

Fig. 4 is a sectional view of the contact pin taken from the opposite side to that shown in Fig. 2, and

Fig. 5 is a plan View of the contact shown in Fig. 4.

As shown .in the accompanying drawing the plug-in fuse comprises a hollow body comprising a base I and upstanding integral wall 2 which may be moulded from insulating material, for example polyethylene or similar relatively resilient or yieldable material. A pair of contact pins are provided which project outwardly through apertures 3 in the base I. y

Each pin comprises a. tubular socket-engaging portion'll, the inner ends of which :are integral with spaced resilient arms 5, 6 which are located within the hollow body. The arms 5, 6 are arranged in parallel spaced relation and the inner faces are formed with opposed pips or projections 1. The outer ends of the farms are preferably outwardly inclined, as shown at 8, to form a. flared opening.

The pins 5, 6 are inserted through the apertures 3 in the base of the body of the plug so that the socket-engaging portions 4 project from the base and the arms 5, 6 are housed in the cavity formed by the surrounding wall of the body. Due to the resilient nature of the material from which the body is formed the walls of the apertures in the base tend to flow inwardly to close round the inserted pins and hold them in position. The

adjacent inner ends of the portions 4 are formed as shown with shoulders la adapted to overlie the outer face of the base l to hold the pins against axial movement. Preferably the apertures 3 are of rectangular shape in cross-section to engage the iiat sides of the arms 5, 6 and prevent them rotating.

A member adapted to carry a fuse wire comprises a, substantially Y-shaped plate 9 of insulating material, the arms Il) of the Y being formed with apertures II to which the ends of the fuse wire I2 are secured by threading the wire through these apertures as shown. The wire-carrying member 9 is inserted into the cavity of the plug and the arms lo inserted between the resilient arms 5, 5 or the contact pins until the pips or the like i snap into the apertures i I and detachably secure the member and also make electrical contact with the ends of the fuse wire i2. The wire-carrying member 9 is provided with a tail I3 adapted to project above the wall 2 and form a nger grip for removing the member when it is desired to renew the fuse wire.

The fuse plug according to the invention is particularly adapted for use in radio or other electrical apparatus adapted to include or omit a fuse as desired. By providing a pair of contacts in an electrical circuit of such apparatus, a fuse plug may readily be inserted in the circuit by plugging the contact pins into the sockets whereby the fuse wire forms an electrical connection between the sockets. Should it be desired to omit a fuse, the fuse plug is readily removed and replaced by a plug having contact pins for engaging the sockets and providing `a non-fusible conducting element for completing the circuit through the sockets.

I claim:

A plug-in electrical fuse comprising a hollow body of insulating material having electrical contact pins projecting outwardly therefrom, said pins having their inner ends located Within said hollow body, a fuse carrying member of insula+- ing material disposed within said hollow body, the inner end of each of said pins having spaced resilient integral arms formed with inwardly projecting means, a fuse carrying member of insulating material disposed within said hollow body, said fuse carrying member having apertures for detachable snap fastener engagement with said inwardly projecting means whereby said fuse carrying member is supported by said pins, and a fuse wire carried by said fuse carrying member and having elements disposed within said apertures, said elements engaging directly and automatically said inwardly projecting means in electrical contact when said projecting means are snapped into said apertures.

CLARENCE W. HEATH.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the ile of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 930,675 Menzel Aug. 10, 19-09 1,238,690 Knott Aug. 28, 1917 1,982,169 Kollath Nov. 27, 1934 2,336,517 Wade Dec. 14, 1943 

